When teachers view the behavior of children on the autism spectrum through typical lenses, their view is always distorted.
Educators must know autism inside and out to have the clarity that allows them to teach children the way they learn, to interpret what the child is communicating and to respond appropriately.
We must start insisting that only those teachers with the right approach, the heart, the creativity and the training are working with our vulnerable children. We wouldn’t let a foot doctor perform open-heart surgery. Why are we so complacent in allowing educators with no understanding of autistic learners to be responsible for their education?
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ca.news.yahoo.com/good-teachers-know-teaching-kids-155555657.html

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Society doesn’t seem to understand autism. They don’t know what it is — or what it isn’t. That needs to change.
The worst thing about raising an autistic child was the sick feeling I’d get in the pit of my stomach every single time someone told me there was nothing wrong with him.
I didn’t say there was something wrong with him. I said he had an Asperger’s diagnosis. Click the link below to read the whole article:


The Mighty

​Many parents raising children on the autism spectrum already know this: dogs are intuitive, empathetic and responsive to the needs of our children.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise then, to learn that many people on the spectrum list “petting my dog” as a calming strategy when asked to share their tips for coping with anxiety. 

Brain was Daniel’s therapy dog. Well, he wasn’t a certified, professionally-trained therapy dog, but he was . . . well, let me explain. He was 5 whole pounds of Chihuahua attitude — not a yappy, snappy attitude, but a, “Hey meester. I’m a Cheewawa! You got cheese? I’ll do tricks for you! C’mon, c’mon, c’mon!” (Jump, jump, jump, jump, jump, jump).
Click here to continue reading:

I’m not saying parents of autistic children are perfect, but we do better than most of the other adults in our life who may think that our children’s “problems” are caused by our parenting style.
To be clear, I don’t think that autism is a problem.
The “problems” often originate with the ignorance of what the autism identification means. Autism is neither a mental defect nor a mental illness. It is simply a different way of processing information in the brain. When our children are accepted, understood, respected and accommodated, just watch the problems melt away and the successes mount.
Not to suggest that being autistic means a person will do something historic with their life, but they might and they can and they do.
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Click here to continue reading:

Textbooks tell us autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is four to five times more prevalent in boys than girls. I never have been one to believe everything I read. I keep meeting young women, new ASD diagnosis in hand, whose childhood stories read like sequels to “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.” They were medicated, hospitalized, removed from regular schools and placed in “treatment” facilities, abused, bullied… but never diagnosed accurately. At least not with ASD.
Oh sure, they were told they had ADHD, ODD, OCD, GAD… and later, anorexia or bulimia. They cut themselves and starved themselves — but it was all just for attention and control, don’t ya’ know!​
Click here to continue reading:
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It can be a frustration to try to change understanding of autism within systems of support that are rigid, inflexible, and don’t seem to learn from their mistakes. I hear so many stories of professionals with no or limited autism knowledge being less-than-helpful to families and children.
Based on incorrect assumptions, professionals misinterpret what they see with our children. It causes anxiety and frustration in the child and in the home, harming the family dynamic.
Click here to read the rest of our article  in Yahoo news. 

Why won’t schools give autistic learners what they need — or let them keep the supports that help?
Sometimes, the stunning lack of understanding from our school boards leaves me speechless.
Especially when this happens:
• They create a fantastic IEP meant to provide just the right supports for a student who’s struggling.
• They actually provide all the supports — consistently and with the right approach.
• The student getting those supports does a complete 180° — gone is the anxious student who is struggling academically, replaced by a student who can and does do the work… perhaps they make the honor roll, even!
Sounds great, huh? At the risk of bursting your bubble, what often happens next is what is so frustrating:
• In response to this kind of student success, some schools, in their infinite wisdom, go, “Awesome! Our work here is done,” and they cut the supports that allowed the student to succeed...


Click here to read the rest of the article:

​​https://www.yorkregion.com/opinion-story/7936691-column-daniel-and-the-curse-of-invisible-autism/

Daniel Share-Strom was just three when it became clear what his mission in life would be — and that the mission would involve a microphone.
He had always been a different child, not really interested in other kids, in toys, in communicating with others.
But one day he and his mom were at garage sale and Daniel made a beeline for the toy box. He grabbed a microphone, stood in the middle of the driveway and began belting out “Blue Suede Shoes”....
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